Orhan Pamuk on prestigious Man Asian Literary Prize longlist

Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk poses after he received the medal of the Officer of the National Order of the Legion of Honor from Minister for Culture and Communication on Oct 29, 2012 in Paris. Three debut novelists and a Nobel laureate were among the 15 writers longlisted for Asia's most prestigious literary prize on Tuesday, with entries spread across the region from Turkey to Japan. -- PHOTO: AFP

HONG KONG (AFP) - Three debut novelists and a Nobel laureate were among the 15 writers longlisted for Asia's most prestigious literary prize on Tuesday, with entries spread across the region from Turkey to Japan.

The longlist for the US$30,000 (S$36,541) Man Asian Literary Prize was drawn from 108 published works from nine different Asian countries, submitted to a panel of judges led by literary critic and journalist Maya Jaggi.

"The far-ranging stories on our longlist draw the reader into some beautiful and some gruelling landscapes," said Jaggi in a statement.

"From the glaciers of northern Pakistan to the unforgiving Saudi desert; from an affluent Istanbul seaside resort to a Bombay opium den - and further afield to Montreal and Mexico."